Sixty entries predicted for Rally Sweden

Organisers of Rally Sweden, the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship, are expecting as many as sixty entries for the event, which starts on Thursday 11 February.

Fifty-four entries were on the list by the 12 January registration deadline, but a fault with the fax machine used to receive entry forms has prompted organisers to extend the amount of time available.

"The last day for entries was very hectic at the rally office and a technical communication error didn’t make the situation better," explained Clerk of the Course Bertil Klarin. "That is the reason why I can’t state the exact number of entrants. Many drivers have failed to reach us during the day and are now trying again."

Klarin felt the number would rise to 60 before entries close again - a figure just one shy of the total in 2008, when the rally was last included in the WRC. "If we reach nearly the same number of entrants this year as in 2008 we really should be very satisfied, considering the economic crisis and the problems for the car manufacturers," he said. "Last week we reckoned 40 entrants would be an acceptable number, but this is very positive, showing the very strong position this rally has in the World Rally Championship."

Already on the list are drivers representing four FIA manufacturer teams. The manufacturers' championship winning Citroen Total team has entered C4 World Rally Cars for its two drivers Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo. As defending FIA drivers' champion Loeb tops the list, with Sordo in the number two car. In the firm's second tier squad, former F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will join Sebastien Ogier at the Citroen Junior World Rally Team.

Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala are nominated points scorers for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team, while Khalid Al Qassimi will drive a third Ford Focus RS WRC for the manufacturer.

Former double world champion Marcus Gronholm returns to the WRC to drive for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team in Sweden, where he will be joined by Finn Matthias Therman and 2009 season regulars Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson. Wrc.com understands that Gronholm and Solberg will be nominated points scorers.

Other notable WRC entries include Petter Solberg who is driving a Citroen C4 WRC, and his fellow Norwegian Mads Ostberg, who returns in his Adapta team Subaru Impreza.

As well as being the first round of the main WRC competition, Sweden marks the beginning of the Production Car and Super 2000 World Rally Championships.
Reigning P-WRC-champion Armindo Araujo has elected to start his title defence in Sweden and will face tough opposition from local experts including P-G Andersson, Patrik Flodin and Jocke Nyman - all of them in Mitsubishi Lancers.

Skoda Fabia S2000 driver Patrik Sandell is the leading Swede in the new S-WRC competition. He will go up against at least five other Super S2000 drivers including Eyvind Brynildsen, Janne Tuohino and reigning junior champion, Martin Prokop.

Follow this link to see the latest 'unofficial' entry list.